Winston was found abandoned on August 6, 2017. A Good Samaritan reached out to Billy the Kidden Rescue for help. Billy the Kidden Rescue stepped in without any hesitation and brought him into their care.

Shortly after being rescued, Winston was taken to Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners for an examination. The evaluation lead to the discovery of an ear infection, severe dental disease, as well as a diagnosis of FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). With the kindness of strangers, money was donated to cover the cost of vaccinations and surgery to extract several infected teeth. He healed nicely from his procedure. Unfortunately, due to the severity of neglect, Winston's ears are permanently damaged.

Luckily, being FIV+ is not a death sentence, meaning Winston can live his life to the fullest and coexist with other pets including cats. Fortunately for Winston one of Billy the Kidden Rescue's very own fell in love with him, and he has resided with them ever since his rescue. Winston lives a spoiled life without having to worry about being abandoned again! Winston is believed to be between 7 and 9 years old and is the biggest love bug ever. From the very first day that he came into care, he has shown absolutely no aggression or fear of anyone.

Updated 3/29/2018: When Winston was found by BTKR, they took all of the legal steps that were required and notified Norfolk Animal Control where he was placed on a 10 day stray hold. After the hold was up and no one came to claim him, is when one of their own adopted him.

It was not until today, that we received an email from someone believing that Winston was their cat that they lost last year. After several emails back and forth, it was confirmed by undeniable pictures that Winston was in fact their missing cat.

His owner's said that Winston's real name was Gizmo and he was actually 16 years old. Gizmo was an indoor/outdoor cat that never came home one day.

Since he was in an amazing home, his owner's decided that they did not want to disrupt that. Winston and his new mom couldn't be more excited!

Winston's mom started a Winston Wishes, a 501c3 nonprofit that helps pet owners living in the Hampton Roads Area during times of need with pet food and supplies. Strangers helped Winston have this amazing life and his mom wanted to have a way to help others.

Pic 2 was after the rescue's trappers' got him. He didn't have to be trapped like normal strays. They literally walked over and picked him up. They were afraid he was deaf because of how bad his ears were.

Pic 3 is him at blue pearl vet partners in va beach getting checked out after he got a bath and all cleaned